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Are Multiple Supply Chain Networks Important? (A PI Q and A)

February 12, 2008

I recently posed a question on the importance of Multiple Supply Chain Networks which, within a matter of several hours, elicited 14 responses from around the world. And while the majority of respondents felt that the findings from an ISM, CAPS and AT Kearney 2006 report were not indicative of general market sentiments, it nonetheless […]

Network Member Question: What is the Future of Enterprise Software Modeling (Development)?

February 11, 2008

What you are really talking about are the differences between agent-based and equation-based modeling.The latter has been the traditional model used by software developers because it attempts to quantify and therefore confine multiple strands (re attributes) of diverse stakeholders into a single, definable stream or process.While applicable in the more static environment of say financial […]

Bridging the Communications Gap Between Finance and Purchasing

January 31, 2008

A May 4th, 2006 article titled How to Speak Like a CFO, stressed that “Too often, finance executives in Corporate America simply don’t believe that purchasing departments are really bringing in the savings they claim. That may be because financing and purchasing don’t speak the same language.” A December 20th, 2007 article shows that very […]

The Mendocino Project: A Brilliant Strategy by Microsoft and SAP to Sidestep Anti-Trust Legislation?

December 21, 2007

Earlier this month I wrote a commentary regarding Microsoft’s purported plans to acquire SAP (December 5th, 2007). While the main focus of my thinking was on the direct (or indirect) impact such an action would have at the client “operational” level, one response viewed the situation through the lens of anti-trust legislation. Specifically, that “anti-trust […]

Is Cisco Really Driving 21st Century Supply Chain Innovation?

December 3, 2007

Earlier this year, World Trade Magazine’s Neil Shister wrote an article titled “The 21st Century Supply Chain: Cisco Builds a Supply Chain.” Beside the article itself, what I found particularly interesting was his adjunct sidebar interview with Cisco’s Vice President, Worldwide Manufacturing Angel Mendez. Mr. Mendez, who Mr. Shister referred to as a “bona fide […]

The Continuing Dangers of Vendor Rationalization

November 27, 2007

As mentioned in my previous post, the feedback I receive from procurement professionals who attend my conferences never fail to make an impact in terms of the grassroots challenges they face on a daily basis. Often times, it is the adherence to long held beliefs and strategies that undermine their efforts to deliver maximum value […]

The FOSS(ilization) of the supply chain: The risks of a strategy centered on Free and Open Source Software

September 27, 2007

I recently reviewed (actually browsed as there were only10 PowerPoint slides in total) a Government of Canada presentation to attendees of the September 2006 CIO Summit in Ottawa. Titled “IM/IT Government in Canada . . . Open to Business” the presentation emphasized the fact that “change is the only constant.” Referencing a transformation agenda which […]

Public Sector Procurement Practice and the Principles of External Economies, Clustering and the Global Value Chain

August 28, 2007

Can the public sector effectively apply the principles of External Economies to its procurement practice? “External economies of scale (ES) occur outside of a firm, within an industry. Thus, when an industry’s scope of operations expands due to, for example, the creation of a better transportation network, resulting in a subsequent decrease in costs for […]

The Point of Ideal Price Viability (Graphic Illustrations)

August 27, 2007

I would like to once again thank everyone for their response to and questions regarding my recent postings on the Point of Ideal Price Viability (PIPV). Of the e-mails I received pertaining to the Supplemental Material post, many asked me to provide examples of the individual transactions that formed part of the amalgam or averages […]

(Supplemental Material) Double Marginalization and the Point of Ideal Price Viability

August 23, 2007

I have received a number of e-mails regarding my August 10th posting (Double Marginalization and the Point of Ideal Price Viability) requesting clarification of my theory. In line with the old saying that a “picture is worth a thousand words,” the following graph will hopefully illustrate the basis for my conclusions. (NOTE: due to space […]